1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of hardware for residential and commercial doors and more specifically to the field of devices which limit the swing-open motion of an entry or interior door to a maximum of ninety degrees to prevent the door and protruding hardware from striking an adjacent wall.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The field of devices which limit the swing-open motion of doors has been studied extensively and a number of approaches have been developed. This field is important because without limiting the swing of a door, the protruding hardware can strike and even penetrate an adjacent wall causing damage that requires repair. Most of the devices which are presently used to limit the swing-open motion of a door are mounted to the floor adjacent to the wall to be protected or mounted on the base molding of the wall itself. A review of door hinge devices has not revealed a door hinge for residential or commercial use which incorporates features to address this problem.
One example is of a device to limit the swing-open motion of a door is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,044, issued to Goetz. This door hinge device imparts a snap-action movement to hold a door member in either a closed or an open position. The device has application to light weight door members such as are used in appliances. The device cannot be applied to limiting the swing of a residential or commercial door.
Another example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,875, issued to Overcash, et al. The device consists of a modified door hinge with a clip-on stop to limit the swing of a door. The maximum swing of a door is limited by the thickness of the block portion of the stop.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,105, issued to Depke, an adjustable door hinge is disclosed. The adjustment of the hinge allows for the adjustment of a door both laterally and axially within a door frame. The device does not provide for any adjustment to the maximum swing of a door.
A novel door hinge structure for mounting a door panel to a door frame is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,855, issued to Tang. The hinge makes no provision for limiting the swing of a door.
Another adjustable door hinge is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,636, issued to Jahnke. The hinge provides for simple adjustment of the relative position of a door element with respect to a door frame. The hinge makes no provision for limiting the swing of a door.
An adjustable hinge mounted door stop is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,289, issued to Reder. The device consists of two stops which rotate on the hinge pin of a modified door hinge assembly. The device can incorporate an adjustment screw to adjust the angular separation of the two stops to set the maximum swing of a door.
Thus, a variety of devices to limit the swing-open motion of a door are known. Most of the devices to limit the swing of a door are not located on incorporated into the door hinge. Of the devices which limit the maximum swing of a door through modifications to a standard door hinge, none provide for a simple device which is easy to install and economical to manufacture.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop a hinge, which would be simple and easy to install and would limit the swing-in motion of a door to ninety degrees. This hinge would satisfy the requirements of the most common application of the door stop, the case in which a wall is located immediately adjacent to either the right or the left side of the door frame.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of hinges which limit the maximum swing of door, the present invention makes available a door hinge that has a maximum swing ninety degrees. This ninety-degree door hinge is configured for use on residential and commercial entry and interior doors located ninety-degrees to an adjacent wall. The purpose of this Invention is to stop the swing-open motion of the door before it can strike the adjacent wall. By halting the swing-open motion of said door at ninety degrees, the protruding hardware of a door will not penetrate the adjacent wall causing damage that requires repair. The uniqueness of the present invention is found in the shape of hinge-pin barrels on the door and frame hinge members. The interfacing surfaces of the top and bottom barrel segments of the door elements of the hinge are configured with protruding tabs. The interfacing surfaces of the top and bottom hinge-pin barrel segments of the frame hinge element have corresponding slot receiver shapes. The width of the protruding tabs and the width of the corresponding slots are configured to establish an arc segment of rotation that allows a maximum door swing of ninety degrees. The complete hinge consisting of the door and frame elements are spaced, aligned and pinned at one or all of the three standard hinge positions for each door. The Ninety-Degree Door Hinge is best installed at the time of new construction where a door is framed ninety degrees to an adjacent wall.